


Pain

by glassgoblin



Series: Carol's Word-A-Day Calendar [129]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-19 06:08:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4735328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glassgoblin/pseuds/glassgoblin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set immediately after Aaron and Eric bring Rick and the gang into Alexandria (or the day after).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pain

He hissed and pulled away sharply, not knowing how to protect his ankle without hitting it on something else and making it hurt even more. Aaron steadied him until he had his balance again, and then let go abruptly.   Eric wavered slightly and just barely resisted the temptation to use one of his crutches as a weapon.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“ Aaron stopped, unsure of how to phrase his apology when Eric was giving him a dirty look. “Well, I didn’t.”

Eric hobbled to the couch and sat down, sighing and then gasping as his foot hit the leg of the coffee table. His pain meds had worn off in the middle of the night and he hadn’t had a chance to take another yet, not that it would have been working yet if he had. It hurt, a lot, and everything he did to find a comfortable spot to settle just made everything worse.

“I’ll just go get your pills and some water.” Aaron was looking at him oddly and he supposed that the light-headed feeling he had was apparent by making him even paler. He had caught his reflection in a mirror the night before and when the pain had gotten so bad he felt as though he might pass out his skin had almost become translucent. It was a little scary.

He leaned forward as much as he could on the couch and grabbed a handful of his clothing to help lift his leg onto the coffee table so that it would be elevated, and then relaxed and lay back panting. Eric couldn’t remember the last time he had been in so much pain. He had never broken a bone before and this was in a joint so every little movement felt like an explosion. It didn’t help that Aaron hovered and worried until he accidentally caused more pain.

There were twin beds in the downstairs guest bedroom and Eric was determined that he would be sleeping there, in one of those beds, for the next few nights. He couldn’t even roll over without pain, and every time Aaron had shifted in his sleep the movement caused a throbbing in Eric’s ankle that woke him again. He hadn’t gotten a lot of rest the night before. All he wanted to do now was sit very still, take some of those strong pain meds, and sleep until everything was better. He didn’t think that would be allowed though, at least not the sleeping part.

Aaron appeared at the arm of the couch, pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other. “Would you be okay if I went out for a while today? I was thinking about talking to Dixon about taking your place as a recruiter for a while, and the sooner I talk to him about it the better.” He shrugged and gave Eric the pills and the water, “So Deanna doesn’t give him a different job to do before I make the offer.”

Eric shook his head, “I don’t mind. I just want to get some more sleep.” He glanced around the room, “I could stay here if I had a few books and a throw blanket.”

“I can get those for you. You should eat something too, so the pills don’t make you feel sick. Rest for a bit and I’ll make breakfast.” He took the glass again, to refill it, and went back to the kitchen.

Eric hoped the pills would kick in soon, but Aaron was right about eating something. The strong meds were not gentle on his stomach, and he didn’t want to have to get up more than necessary. He closed his eyes and willed the pills to work, but they still hadn’t taken the edge off the pain by the time Aaron returned with a tray that held a bowl of oatmeal for each of them, two mugs and the refilled glass of water.

“I hope you don’t mind, I made some tea for you instead of coffee.” He set the tray down on the coffee table to take his own bowl and mug off before settling the tray over Eric’s lap.

“No, that’s better, so the caffeine won’t keep me awake. Thank you.” The tray did made it easier for him to stay in place, not having to sit up and shift his leg one more time, “Where are you going to look for Dixon?”

Aaron shrugged, sitting back in their overstuffed chair, “Someone mentioned that he asked about going outside the walls to hunt, so I might ask someone from his group first, but I bet he’ll be in the woods.”

“Be careful. I know I don’t need to tell you that, but you don’t know him yet and he doesn’t trust us yet. If he thinks you are following him he might not react well.” Eric sighed, letting his mug warm his hands as he waited for it to cool a little. “If you keep going out there, without me, it won’t be easy. You know that I’ll worry, and that sometimes it might not sound reasonable, but it won’t matter.”

Aaron nodded, sipping his coffee, “I know. Even though it might seem safer inside these walls, I’ll still worry about you too.”

“And I’m coming back out there as soon as my ankle can take it.” Eric saw the stubborn look that crossed Aaron’s face and decided to ignore it for now. It would be a fight they could have later, when he was well enough to hold his own instead of being half asleep and in pain.


End file.
